M1:1751 — غرق حق خواهد که باشد غرق‌تر / همچو موج بحر جان زیر و زبر

Translation: One who is drowned in Truth desires to be drowned deeper; like a wave of the sea of the soul, turning upside down and downside up. Meaning: This verse conveys the insatiable thirst of the gnostic (ʿārif) in the ocean of divine knowledge and love; they are never content with what they have attained and are perpetually seeking more.

This verse emerges within a series of metaphors Rumi employs to articulate the insatiable nature of the gnostic and the lover. This, without doubt, is one of Rumi's most pivotal mystical teachings. The gnostic, or the lover, is never sated. This does not imply greed or avarice; rather, it is the very essence of love that demands such a disposition. Rumi himself states elsewhere that contentment (qanāʿat) is commendable in all domains, save for love. In the realm of love, one must not be content; one must not claim that what God has bestowed is sufficient. The further one advances, the more remains to be discovered and rightfully pursued. This stance marks a complete departure from Aristotelian ethics, which posits the golden mean as the ideal. While Aristotelian ethics advocates moderation in human relations, it is neither applicable nor valid in amorous connections.

I observe that Rumi likens this submersion and deeper submersion to a wave of the sea. For one already immersed in the sea, it matters little whether they are beneath the surface or atop it; whether they are simply drowned or drowned deeper. All these states are desirable and pleasing to them, for each is but a manifestation of that boundless ocean. Even if an individual attains the station of Moses, a prophet of high resolve, it does not mean they know all things or that all mysteries are unveiled to them. No such state exists, no such principle holds. Every prophet, ultimately, has some deficiency in their knowledge. God in the Quran instructs the Prophet of Islam to pray: “Say, ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge’” (Quran 20:114). Therefore, whoever is at any rank or station, always remains in need of knowing more, and thus their thirst is unquenchable.

Rumi clarifies this point with other metaphors as well, stating: “Even if I sit amidst the sea / I still yearn for a pitcher of water.” This means that even if I am seated within the ocean, with the entire sea at my disposal, should I spot someone elsewhere with a mere pitcher of water, I cannot resist the urge to obtain it and add it to the sea. This is that sacred avarice that manifests in love, knowing no bounds.

This unending thirst is evident not only in the quest for knowledge and love but also in their expression. Rumi himself, with all his grandeur, needed Hosamoddin Chalabi to articulate his thoughts. Hosamoddin was never on Rumi’s level—neither did he claim it, nor did anyone believe it—yet, for Rumi to utter his words, he needed to seek out a Hosamoddin, as he put it: “This discourse is milk in the breast of the soul / How can milk flow without one to suckle?” Someone had to draw this milk from the breast of his soul for rivers of milk and honey to flow, allowing such vast expansion. These thoughts and insights surged within Rumi, but it was for the sake of the audience and in their presence that a new path opened outwards, flowing forth for others to partake. Thus, being immersed in Truth and desiring deeper immersion is both an intrinsic quest of the lover and an eagerness to express it in the world.

Key takeaways

• The true gnostic and lover is never content with the divine knowledge and love they have attained, constantly seeking deeper and more profound immersion.
• This insatiability is not greed; rather, it is the very essence of love that demands no limits, contrary to conventional ethical principles.
• The lover's state within the ocean of Truth is such that being 'upside down or downside up' (under or over the waves) no longer matters; all is a manifestation of a single reality.
• The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is endless, even for prophets, as absolute perfection belongs solely to God, and we are perpetually on a path of increasing understanding.
• Even a great philosopher or mystic requires a 'suckler'—an audience or medium—to draw forth and disseminate the 'milk' from the 'breast of their soul.'